A wrist flare-up prevented Jordan Spieth from practicing as recently as last Monday, but he finished 10th anyway at the Valero Texas Open.
With an approach of “constant TLC,” he hopes to keep the pain away and contend at his 11th Masters Tournament, as he so often does.
Spieth, 30, said Tuesday he has yet to fix a lingering ECU tendon issue in his wrist, which flares up unpredictably and thus inhibits his ability to practice for roughly 24 hours at a time. It also flared up on Monday of THE PLAYERS Championship last month (he missed the cut) and shortly after a third-place finish at The Sentry in January, he said Tuesday. When the flare-up occurs, he can’t practice that day, but he tends to feel better day-by-day – aided by a better understanding of the issue, which was perhaps misdiagnosed as an acute injury last May.
Unpredictable wrist and all, Spieth arrived at Augusta National with a full-throttle approach to chasing a second green jacket. He’ll tee off at 1:48 p.m. ET on Thursday in an entertaining grouping that includes Ludvig Åberg and Sahith Theegala.
“As the week goes on, it gets better and better, using it more and more, and I'm recovering more and more than, say, my days off at home,” Spieth, winner of the 2015 Masters, said Tuesday. “I'm getting treatment daily here. That's included with everything else that I didn't used to do.
Each time Jordan Spieth puts on his Green Jacket, he reflects on his 2015 win with feelings of pride and appreciation. #themasters pic.twitter.com/UkW6klgCOq
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 9, 2024
“Since I've gotten more on top of it by December, I at least know what it is and how to get it quickly better. But, yeah, it's something that I don't think there's really anything I can do other than rest. And I'm not resting it anytime soon. So I'll probably take quite a bit of time when the season's over and see if it kind of sets it back in place and doesn't flare up as much.”
Spieth is often a popular pick at Augusta National and for good reason, having gone second-win-second in his first three Masters appearances (2013-15) and adding three more top-four finishes since, including a tie for fourth last season. His blend of innate creativity and tactical acumen matches Augusta National’s multi-dimensional canvas, which features nuanced slopes and tilts from the fairway through the green. Spieth lives outside the lines, which is seemingly more rewarded than penalized around Augusta (for those who game-plan accordingly). Although his results this season have been erratic, with back-to-back missed cuts before an entertaining T10 at the Valero (including a shot onto a roof), the Masters often serves as Spieth’s elixir.